Mattress pads have found wide favor in the bedding industry, and especially in the medical bedding area, by enhancing user comfort and reducing fatigue and bedsores. These mattress pads are generally made of a foamed polyurethane pad having a convolution pattern comprising a regular pattern of evenly spaced peaks and valleys on at least the side facing the user's body.
The advantages of such mattress pads are generally attributable to the increased air circulation between the mattress pad and the user's body. This air circulation is provided whereupon the user's weight compresses the peaks but the valleys are not so compressed and therefore allow for a degree of air flow.
The first such convoluted mattress pads had a regular peak and valley configuration on the top side with an opposed bottom side which was flat, or planar. These pads were formed by cutting a thick polyurethane foam sheet, having two flat sides, in half along a convoluted pattern resulting in two pads each having a convoluted top surface and a planar bottom surface. The peaks from the face of the bottom half cut into a convoluted pattern corresponded to the valleys of the face of the top half.
This design was later supplemented through the use of plugs punched in the valleys and removal of some of the plugs, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,724 to Bedford, or pin-pinching holes through the pad in the valleys as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,445 to Spann. The removal of some of the plugs left air channels which would increase air flow and also allow fluid run-off.
However, plugs or holes placed only in the valleys of a convoluted pad are difficult to properly position and predetermined removal of only some of the plugs, as suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,724, is time consuming and burdensome.
Another aspect which has been considered for use with mattress pads is additional support in the peaks to reduce compression in the valleys and thereby improve air circulation. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,724 support for providing additional circulation beneath a user is dealt with by providing hills having flat-tops, and channels or holes only in the valleys between the flat-tops, of at least 1 inch in diameter.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,800, also to Bedford, the hills have flat-tops of a specific diameter for support but further include holes or air channels spaced in the valleys and in the peaks, only going through from one side of the pad to the other in the valleys but specifically not in all of the peaks.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,488, Bedford adds electric fans disposed through the pad, having flat-tops on the peaks but no holes or air channels, for improved air flow.
Another foam mattress pad is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,111 to Fenner, Sr. which has multiple layers, the top and bottom layers having increased density and depressions therein to minimize surface contact with the user's body.
However, each of the above items and methods of manufacture cause wasted materials and require precise or burdensome steps to manufacture.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mattress pad which enhances air flow between the mattress and the user's body while providing additional support to the user.
It is also an object to provide such a mattress pad which can be easily manufactured with minimum waste.
In a separate embodiment, it is an object of the invention to provide a mattress pad in conformance with the above objects having varying support sections along its length.